Hot top



E. C. SMITH HOT TOP Filed Jan. 13, 1927 gwuemtoz .EA/PLE C JMU'H dll til-h till ' being slightly smaller width of the upper end of the mold cavity,-

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STATES PATENT OFFICE.

llhittlillt O. lElMltlH, OF MASQlLLON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO CENTRAL ALTJllY STEEL GOR- POItltTION, F MASSILLON, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OJ? NEW YORK.

HOT TOP.

Application filed January 18, 1927. Serial No. 180,903..

This. invention relates to sinlr heads, feeders, or so-called hot tops lor the casting oi ingots and other heavy castings.

lln oloject oi the inevntion is to provide a novel hot top which is made oi sheet met,

but which will stand Considerable rough handling, and which cannot he easily broken as can those made of ordinary lirec ay.

Another ohject of the invention is to provide a hot top that will be tree to slide in the mold and follow the cooling and shrinking metal as its level descends after pouring, and will not hang over the to of the .mold as is often the case with firehrick hot tops.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hot top which rests entirely within the top of the mold and which therefore has no parts projecting over the top edge of the mold.

A still lurther object oi the invention is to provide a cheap, simple, and effective hot top having certain details out construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully set forth.

Other objects of the invention will be in -part obvious, and in part pointed out in the course of the following description; and the scope of the protection contemplated, Wlll be indicated in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated a preferred form of embodlment of the invention, I

Fig. l is a plan view of the top of a mold, showing a hot top in position t ereon.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a mold, partly in vertical section, showing the manner in which the hot top is employed on the mold.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a sheet metal cap adapted to rest on the hot top, to thereby cover the sand or other heat insulating tiller.

Fig. 4- is a side elevation of the sheet metal ln the drawings, 1 represents an ordinary big-end-up ingot mold, having. a. hole 2 at the lower portion thereof, which is normally closed during routing, by a refrac tory plug (not shown) The hot to proper consists of a sheet metal outer s all 3, having an upturned flange l at the lower edge thereof, said shell in width than the so that it may rest within the uppenend of the mold cavity, a distance of approximately six to eight inches from the top edge ti, therept. the outer shell is open at the top, and is preferably made of gauge sheet metal.

Resting within the trough lormed by the upturned flange l, is an inner shell 6, frusto pyramidal in shape, and open at its u per end. This inner shell is preierably me e of heavier gauge sheet metal than the outer :shell, and for large size ingot molds, 16

gauge sheet metal is usually employed.

Both the inner and outer shells are formed from approximately rectangular pieces of sheet metal, and after forming into the de slred shape, the contiguous or overlap in ends of the sheets are riveted or seam-welded to each other.

the shells are in place on the mold, the space hetween them 15 filled with dry sand or other heat insulating material 7, and if desired, a metal cap or cover 8 (see Figs. 3 and this placed on the hot top to cover the insulating material. This precaution is taken to prevent any of the sand from entering the during pouring The cap 8 has struck out, downwardly directed. triangular shaped flanges 9, which extend down into the shell 6, to therebyprevent the cap from heing accidently displaced from the hot to The striking out of these flanges results in leaving the o ning 10 in the ca through which the mo ten metal is poure In practice, the hot top, owing to the flexible nature of its inner and outer shells, has a vertical range of movement of approximately six inches. This vertical range of movement is of great practical importance, as it furnishes a ready and effective means of varying the vertical height of the cast ingot. It is obvious that by forcing the hot top downward, the height. and consequently the size, .of the resultant ingot, as cast, will be somewhat smaller. It is obvious that the described manner of connecting the inner and outer shells may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. The outer shell could be formed without a flange at the lower end thereof, and in this case thelower end of the inner shell would he spot-welded to the contiguous portion of the outer shell. As another ohvious modification of the preferred form of embodiment of the invention, the inner shell might be formed with an outwardly and upwardly directed flange at its lower end, and the outer shell without a flange at its lower end, in which case the outer shell, would, when in position, rest on such flange. The mold is filled with molten metal to approximately near the top edge of the inner shell, and the excessive heat of the metal causes the inner shell 6 and flange 4, to become welded to the ingot. Prior to the stripping of the ingot from the mold, the cap 8 and remaining portions of the outer shell- 3, are. removed,'and the sand permitted to fall away. In some cases, the flanges 9, of the cap 8, extend down into the molten metal, and portions of these are melted.

While the hottop is shown as used on a conventional square ingot mold, it is to be understood that the hot top is not intended to be restricted for use with this specific form of mold, but may be used, suitably modified in form, on round ingot molds,

molds having corrugated or fluted inner walls, and ingot molds of other cross sectlonal contour. These modifications are deemed to come within the purview of the claims.

I claim- 1. A hot top for ingot molds, comprising an outer shell having an inwardly directed flange at the lower edge thereof, an inner frusto-pyramidal shell supported within said outer shell and by said'flange, and a filler of heat insulating material between said shells.

2. A hot top for ingot molds comprising an outer sheet metal shell adapted to fit within the upper portion of the mold, an inner sheet metal shell, the two shells being united at their lower end portions, the upper portions of said shells being spaced apart whereby there is formed between said shells a closed-bottom chamber for heat insulating material.

3. A hot top for ingot molds comprising an outer sheet metal shell adapted to fit within the upper portion of the mold, an inner sheet metal shell disposed in angular relation to said outer shell, the two shells being united at their lower end portions whereby there is formed between said shells a closed-bottom chamber for heat insulating material.

4. A hot top for ingot molds comprising an outer sheet metal shell having an inwardly extending flange at the lower end portion thereof and an inner sheet metal shell supported by said flange, the upper portions of said shells being spaced a art whereby there is formed between said shells a closed-bottom chamber for heat insulating material.

5. A hot top for ingot molds com using an outer sheet metal shell of polygona crosssection and an inner sheet metal shell of polygonal cross-section the walls whereof lie at an angle to the walls of said outer shell, the two shells being united at their lower end portions whereby there is formed between said shells a closed-bottom chamber for heat insulating material.

6. A hot. top for ingot molds comprising air outer sheet metal shell substantially rectangular in cross-section and having an inwardly extending flange at the lower end portion thereof, and an inner frusto-pyramidal sheet metal shell supported by said flange whereby there is formed between said shells at closed-bottom chamber for heat insulating material.

7. A hat top for ingot molds comprising an outer shell of relatively thin sheet metal adapted to fit within the upper portion of the mold and an inner shell of relatively thicker sheet metal disposed in angular relation to said outer shell, the two shells being united at their lower end portions whereby there is formed between said'shells a closedbottom chamber for heat insulating material.

8. In combination with a big end up ingot mold, a hot top comprising outer and inner sheet metal shells secured together at their lower end portions and having their upper portions spaced from each other to define a material receiving chamber bet-ween said shells, and a filler of heat insulating material in said chamber; said hot top having its lower edge resting on the tapered inner walls of the mold cavity, and being vertically adjustable in the mold cavity to provide for variations in the size of the subsequently east ingot.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EARLE C. SMITH. 

